# Open-source seed

> Open-source seed is seed shared under a pledge that anyone may use, breed and share it, provided they do not restrict others' use through patents or licences.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/open-source-seed.html
- Also written: open source seed, OSSI pledge, open-source seed pledge, free seed, open seed
- Glossary category: Legal and regulatory
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Open-source seed is a model in which breeders release varieties with a pledge attached: you are free to use, save, breed and share this seed and its derivatives, but you may not patent it or otherwise restrict others from doing the same. The idea, borrowed from open-source software, was popularised for food crops by the Open Source Seed Initiative from the early 2010s (Kloppenburg 2014).

## In practice

An open-source pledge is usually a short statement printed on the packet. Its legal strength is debated, since it relies on the recipient's agreement, but it signals intent and builds a shared pool of genetics. Combined with dated public records ([defensive publication](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/defensive-publication.md)), it makes it harder for anyone to claim the material as their own invention later.

The approach fits GenetixBay's purpose: preservation, documentation and open sharing of genetics, within the lanes the law allows.

Rules differ by country, state, province and city, and change often. This is a general definition, not legal advice: check local rules.

## Don't confuse with

- **Public domain**: no rights claimed at all, and no pledge binding later users.
- **Open-pollinated**: a breeding description (seed that [breeds true](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/true-breeding.md) from [open pollination](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/open-pollinated.md)), not a licence.

## Related terms

[Defensive publication](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/defensive-publication.md), [Plant variety protection](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/plant-variety-protection.md), [Utility patent](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/utility-patent.md), [Seed Club](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/seed-club.md)

## Read more

- [Patents and the gene pool: who can own a cannabis plant?](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/genetics-history/patents-and-the-gene-pool.md)

## Sources

1. Kloppenburg J. 2014. Re-purposing the master's tools: the open source seed initiative and the struggle for seed sovereignty. Journal of Peasant Studies 41(6):1225-1246. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2013.875897